It has been a rocky first two months to begin the 2023-24 NBA season for the Golden State Warriors. They have dealt with various injuries already and have of course been affected by all of the Draymond Green ejections and suspensions, and the team is currently 10-14 and in 11th place in the Western Conference. But one of the biggest issues this season has been the below-average play of Klay Thompson.
Klay Thompson Drops 30 In Warriors Loss To Clippers
Klay Thompson tonight:
30 Points
9/15 FGM
8/12 3PM
4/4 FTM pic.twitter.com/XT3o8ixOMG— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 15, 2023
The second Splash Brother, Thompson has gotten off to one of the worst starts of his career. Through 22 games, he was averaging 15.4 points on 39.7% from the field and 34.3% from deep, all of which would either be the lowest numbers since his rookie season or in his career, period. Things looked like they had taken a turn for the worst during Tuesday’s game against the Suns, when Klay Thompson rode the bench during 4th quarter crunch time, and was not on the court when the Warriors desperately needed a three pointer at the end of the game.
There has been plenty of speculation about what the problem might be, or if Thompson is unhappy in Golden State. But for at least one night, he was able to put all of the chatter to rest.
The Warriors took on the Clippers on Thursday night with a chance to creep back closer to a playoff spot. It was the first game of the current suspension for Draymond Green, and Jonathan Kuminga slid in to the starting lineup. And while the Warriors came up short in their ultimate goal of leaving with a victory, their struggling shooting guard took the first steps in perhaps turning this season’s performance around.
Big Night Helps Improve Numbers Across The Board
First 30-point game of the year for Klay Thompson ✔️ pic.twitter.com/GdpUoDDrWX
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 15, 2023
For just the second time all season, Klay Thompson was the team’s leading scorer for the game. He dropped 30 points on the night, and did so by making 8 of his 12 three point attempts, which are both season-highs. It was his first 30 point game of the season by a wide margin, and his overall shooting numbers saw a noticeable uptick after the impressive performance.
Will it be enough for Thompson to turn the corner and be a contributor on the Warriors as he has in years’ past? It will be tough to emulate the younger days in his career, especially given the injury history and how much time he missed over a two-year span.
But the Warriors will need all the help that they can get heading into the New Year, as they are currently a full three games back of a playoff spot in the West.
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